Almost Holiday Time!

It's 11 sleeps until I go on holiday, well 10 really, the 11th sleep will be on the plane to Melbourne. In the rush to being ready to spend nearly 3 weeks away from home I am doing lots of secret sewing and catching up with a few chores that are possible now we are having fine weather in Perth. We have had the usual turn in weather, straight from high teens & rain to sunny & 30. This week we are forecast to peak at 35, the type of day when being at work in air-conditioning is my kind of fun. Ahhh where have the 25 degree days gone I ponder.......

 

Today my car had one of its bi-annual bathes. They normally occur mid year and at Christmas so this is the mid year one running late. I must have parked under trees one day last week near work as I had deposits on my windscreen and paintwork that make me wonder if pigs really do fly!

 

The more fun chore was replanting the vege and herb garden ready for summer salads. Baby Mia helped plant tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, celery, mixed lettuces, cucumber, silver beet, basil and parsley. There is something satisfying about seeing all that shredded paper acting as mulch that represents just a few weeks of the waste I shred at work from my accounting tasks. It seems to alert the kits that this nice fresh earth is not one big kitty toilet too so its a win all round!

 

 

HB watched all the hard work happening but he was more interested in checking out the BBQ and drooping fairy lights. He is looking forward to BBQ season, sure that he looks even more handsome under fairy light!

 

 

 

Another one of the jobs for this weekend was washing a large stitchery recently completed and crossing everything to hope that the threads didn't run on to the white background. I did use a colour catcher rather than run the risk and was happy to see the stitchery came out nice and white, the thread all as it should be and the colour catcher with just a light pink tint.

 

 

 

I did finish a couple of Christmas swap projects this weekend too and prepped a couple more so I have lots of stitching while on holiday. The pics will have to wait, hate to ruin the surprise.  And now that we get back to the subject of my holiday........... on Tuesday 6th November (late at night!) I fly to Hobart for three nights, then I drive to Launceston to stay with my dear friend Leanne, the wonderful, creative lady behind the blog Lizzie the Quilter. Leanne & her boys are willing to put up with me for five whole nights and I know Leanne & I are going to have a whole lot of fun together!

 

Then I fly to Melbourne and bus to Ballan to be picked up by my dear friend Shez from Enjoying Life blog. There is documented evidence from last year that Shez and I will get up to mischief especially if we are any where near Melody from The House on the Side of the Hill blog - I put it down to synergy, we have only a little mischief in each of us but all together it becomes a force for fun! On Saturday 16th November we will all be in Ballan at the Mill Rosie Bloggers Meet. I see from the post on Mel's blog that there will be so many others I can't wait to meet like Sharon & Barb & Christine..... and it goes on and on. Tissues, pack the tissues!

 

I am looking forward to staying at Shez's place. It is a little bit of rural paradise just like I would love to have one day. Shez and I are then doing a bit of gallivanting staying with her sister down near Geelong and having a couple of days in Torquay. My fingers are crossed that the weather warms up a bit especially for the days in Torquay, by then Shez & I may need some time relaxing around the pool..... with a cocktail..... and some stitching..... Friday 22nd I fly back to Perth and my kitty cats, the worst bit about travelling is leaving the furbabies but this time I think I will be so excited there won't be time to miss them. Don't tell HB & Mia that I said that!

 

Happy stitching

Tracee xx

It Must Be Love, Love, Love!

Love No 1 - No not me, well yes me too. Little Mia is pitter pattering her way into our hearts and winning us over with her chirping & smooging.

Love No 2 - If the truth be told, Big HB is smitten with his new little friend (maybe a little toooo smitten to think of her as a sister). I think maybe I should take up match making. The big test today was taking Baby Mia & HB Honeycat to the vet, in one cage, together. I figured I couldn't handle two cages as one is very big so I took the risk of putting them in very snuggly confined space.

 

 

The new experience of togetherness did not raise a moments problem for either of them. The reason for the trip was a slightly different story. Mia needed to get her micro-chip and both had to be inspected by the Vet Nurse so I could get a certificate as proof they are both sterilised to satisfy the new WA cat laws that come into play on the 1st November.

 

Mia as usual was a little lady while HB found the experience a little undignified. Never before has he had to go on a car ride just so a stranger could look at his bootee and then write a letter about it! The laws in this country are going a little crazy muma, who legislates over my butt muma - travesty of justice, he meows. You know how he loves to use his legal speak......

 

So it was an eventful journey, one my babies endured together quite nicely. Yes I was naughty & prolonged the experience by making them pose for pictures before I let them back out of the cage too. I am so happy at the level of comfort they have with each other after only two weeks.

 

Love No 3 - Sew Gifts by Martingale Books. I saw an advert for this new book on Facebook as one of my favourite designers Gail Pan has a stitchery bag design in it. I decided I couldn't wait 72 days until the book was available on my usual buying site so brought the digital version.

 

 

With 25 beautiful designs including one of Gail's birdies it was a case of Now - I want it now! You know that feeling.... There are lots of pics of the projects so check them out here.

 

 

Love No 4 - I'm off on holiday the first week of November so am rapidly stitching to finish gifts and swap pressies before I go away. I decided one of my Christmas decorations just had to have Gail's new stitchery from the bag above. So fabric, felt, thread and a couple of hours on two nights and here it is looking just as cute and festive as I thought it would. I changed the flowers, used variegated threads and am very happy with the final result.

 

 

Love No 5 - from a shared pic on Facebook I found this gorgeous blog called The Crafty Quilter that has a Christmas tutorial each month & there are some beauties amongst them. Check them out and see if they inspire you too! Winter Seeds Table Topper has me swooning.....

 

 

Feeling the love, hope you are too!

 

Happy stitching

Tracee xx HB xx Mia xx

 

Whoops Muma Did It Again!

Hey ho friends, you would never guess - HB Honeycat here! Yes really it's me!

I'm no literary cat like my little big brother Brunnie was but desperate times call for desperate measure friends and I needed to tell you what muma has gone and done. Thursday started like any other day, just like Wednesday, just like Tuesday but little did I know that by late that night muma would get a message of foreboding on the Facebook thingy.

Now I know muma thought & thought on this message, delayed answering her final decision and did discuss the matter with me but friends there has been a travesty of justice (I read along when muma reads murders in bed & I learn that from one of her books). Justice has not been served for HB Honeycat, only cat & King of the World!

Friday night muma was quite excited, Saturday morning muma was sad & worried and Saturday afternoon muma hopped in the car and drove off to alter both our lives as we know them. I may sound dramatic friends, but a drama this is. Not two hours later muma back home with

MIA!



Whose Mia you may politely ask..... Mia is a CAT! Muma says Mia is my new little sister! What would Brunnie says friends - I know what Brunnie would say..... he said grrrrrr rrrrrr grrrrrrr when I came to live with him & muma. Some of that might have been because I tried to jump repeatedly on his back, I was only young, I though small cat, he young too, but no, old cat, he was always grumpy. So friends I have been on my best behaviour, only one grumpy last night. I grrr at Mia, Mia grr at me then we both go and find somewhere to nap. Mind you, its easy to continue on business as usual when Mia spends all day under muma's bed. Muma says Mia even more scaredy cat than me so I'm feeling quite good about that. Mia's mum of five years couldn't take her to their new house so poor Mia homeless, no wonder she scared...

Maybe it's not a complete miscarriage of justice friends (love my legal speak!) but here you judge for yourselves....

Mia did only sit in the fluff-bed for 10 minutes but muma was pleased seeing I think fluff-bed is evil torture and won't go near it. Life as I know if is changed friends, only time will tell how this story will continue......

Innocent until proven Guilty muma!

Purrs Hun-bun!   =^ .. ^=